Mercury Hampton (Chris Hickey)

From “Another Agency” to a Scalable, Differentiated Retained Recruitment Business

Snapshot

• Client: Chris Hickey, Mercury Hampton 
• Business Type: Growing international recruitment firm 
• Start Date with i-intro®: July 2019 
• Key Results: 
• Grown to 30+ employees 
• Multi-million turnover 
• Expansion into US and Middle East 

The Problem

Mercury Hampton had strong growth ambitions but lacked clear differentiation.

Like many agencies, they were at risk of being seen as:

• Another CV supplier 
• Competing on speed and access 
• Difficult to justify premium fees 
• 
  

They needed:

• A way to stand out in a crowded market 
• A model that could scale across teams and geographies 
• A stronger, more consultative client proposition 

What Changed

Partnering with i-intro®, Mercury Hampton implemented a structured retained recruitment model across the business.

This included:

• A defined approach to client engagement and positioning 
• A consistent methodology consultants could follow 
• A more consultative, value-led way of working with clients 
• A scalable framework that could be rolled out across the team 
• 
  

This became a core part of their differentiation strategy.

The Result

• Scaled to over 30 employees 
• Reached multi-million turnover 
• Built foundations for international expansion 
• Established a clear, differentiated market position 

The Commercial Impact

1. Stronger market positioning
Moved from competing with the market to standing apart from it.

2. Scalable business model
A consistent approach that works across consultants and locations.

3. Higher-value client relationships
Shift from transactional activity to consultative partnerships.

Key Insight

Growth does not come from doing more of the same.

It comes from changing how your service is structured, positioned, and experienced by clients.

Client Perspective

“Partnering with i-intro® was the first major step in our company’s differentiator.” 

“Once you’ve sold like that, you don’t want to go back to sending a CV.” 

“It’s been one of the best investments we’ve made.” 

i-intro® helps recruitment agencies build a retained recruitment model that scales across teams, markets, and clients.